alarm 1 of 2

variants also alarum
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2
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alarm

2 of 2

verb

variants also alarum
1
2

Synonym Chooser

How is the word alarm distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of alarm are dread, fear, fright, panic, terror, and trepidation. While all these words mean "painful agitation in the presence or anticipation of danger," alarm suggests a sudden and intense awareness of immediate danger.

view the situation with alarm

When is dread a more appropriate choice than alarm?

The words dread and alarm can be used in similar contexts, but dread usually adds the idea of intense reluctance to face or meet a person or situation and suggests aversion as well as anxiety.

faced the meeting with dread

When can fear be used instead of alarm?

While the synonyms fear and alarm are close in meaning, fear is the most general term and implies anxiety and usually loss of courage.

fear of the unknown

When might fright be a better fit than alarm?

The synonyms fright and alarm are sometimes interchangeable, but fright implies the shock of sudden, startling fear.

fright at being awakened suddenly

Where would panic be a reasonable alternative to alarm?

In some situations, the words panic and alarm are roughly equivalent. However, panic implies unreasoning and overmastering fear causing hysterical activity.

the news caused widespread panic

When would terror be a good substitute for alarm?

The meanings of terror and alarm largely overlap; however, terror implies the most extreme degree of fear.

immobilized with terror

How do trepidation and dread relate to one another, in the sense of alarm?

Trepidation adds to dread the implications of timidity, trembling, and hesitation.

raised the subject with trepidation

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of alarm
Noun
The Ransacker would construct makeshift alarms by placing objects on doorknobs. Ian Berry, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2025 The move has sparked chaos and alarm among some global companies, especially in the technology sector, which rely on the H-1B visa program to bring skilled workers to the US from abroad. Bloomberg, Mercury News, 22 Sep. 2025
Verb
The administration has for months taken steps that have alarmed free speech and press advocates. Brett Samuels, The Hill, 20 Sep. 2025 Bond yields leaking higher since the Fed cut rates a quarter-point on Wednesday is not atypical, and — so far — is not alarming equity markets, inflation watchdogs or fiscal hawks. Michael Santoli, CNBC, 19 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for alarm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alarm
Noun
  • Officials from the Mason County Sheriff’s Office also arrested Marlana Strausbaugh and William Strausbaugh, who now both face charges of hindering prosecution or apprehension and complicity in aiding escape.
    Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 23 Sep. 2025
  • During a panel on new tendencies in the audiovisual sector, CEO at Professor Octopus AI Laboratory Carlos Fernández de Vigo, tried to appease some of the apprehensions by emphasizing artificial intelligence’s potential to create jobs in the industry.
    Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 22 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • What actions are necessary during a red flag warning?
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2025
  • That is why Trump must take the Saudi-Pakistan defense pact not as a rejection, but as a warning shot.
    Firas Maksad, Time, 25 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • For its part, the stock market has defied financial fears during recent government shutdowns.
    Max Zahn, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2025
  • For Jones, that means confronting her childhood fear of clowns.
    Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The modus operandi generally involved either scaring a convenience store owner and fleeing with thousands of dollars worth of cigarettes, like one such incident at a 7-Eleven in Walnut Creek where masked men stole $8,000 in tobacco products, authorities said.
    Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 26 Sep. 2025
  • If someone unexpectedly opens the door to enter the room, a harsh alarm will sound to scare off the intruder—adding an extra layer beyond the hotel’s typical locks.
    Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 26 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Some furniture executives worry about rising prices and the lack of domestic manufacturing capacity.
    Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 27 Sep. 2025
  • And while some worry that changing the exclusion could flood the market, Moody’s analysis finds that even a 25% spike in listings would only restore sales to normal, pre-crisis levels.
    Preston Fore, Fortune, 27 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Powell said a sharp cooldown of hiring over the summer had shifted the balance of risks toward greater concern over the labor market rather than inflation.
    Max Zahn, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Made in Africa is a monthly column by Rolling Stone staff writer Mankaprr Conteh that celebrates and interrogates the lives, concerns, and innovations of cultural workers of the African diaspora from their vantage point.
    Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 29 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • There are liberals in media, but the corporations are now either controlled by the right wing or frightened of it.
    Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2025
  • Notwithstanding the endless parade of ghosts, demons, serial killers and at least one Mothman, Haunted Hotel is mostly not trying to frighten you.
    Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • As a former investment banker at JPMorgan in London, he was dismayed with the lack of late-night delivery options that could satisfy his appetite working 100-hour weeks.
    Preston Fore, Fortune, 18 Sep. 2025
  • But she was dismayed to never learn about such things in school.
    Martha Ross, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Alarm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alarm. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.

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